Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Good to see you, Acting Deputy President! Today I wanted to recognise the outstanding success of the 2026 Warrnambool May Racing Carnival. It is one of Australia's greatest regional sporting traditions and a defining feature of south-west Victoria. The carnival delivered three days of exceptional racing and a very powerful demonstration of how regional races bring communities together, with around 30,000 spectators attending. This year's Warrnambool Cup winner, Any Luck, ridden by Kate Walters and trained by her father, Wayne, added another chapter to the carnival's fantastic history. Global reach was also on display with Stephen Power, the global racing blogger, attending. With a global audience, his coverage certainly introduced the carnival to fans right across the world.

As the senator very lucky enough to represent that fantastic region, I want to also acknowledge the significant contribution that this event makes to south-west Victoria. The carnival generates $14.3 million for the local economy, with 80 per cent of visitors travelling from outside the region, benefiting hospitality, tourism and many, many small businesses, including those pubs. More broadly, regional racing contributes $1.17 billion annually to Victoria's economy and supports more than 9,000 jobs—that's right, 9,000 equivalent jobs.

While regional communities south of the Murray were celebrating, I did note that the Liberals and Nationals were busy falling at every jump across the Murray, north in Farrer. In a seat that the Liberals have held for over 25 years, they finished so far back the returning officer couldn't even find them on the map. The Nationals, not to be outdone, turned up with a swag and didn't even finish. (Time expired)